Improvement in reversible latches



o @"qafw gtiumtttet @sind WILLIAM E. SPARKS AND HENRY H. SPARKS, OF NEW HAVEN, CON- NECTICUT.

Lette/rs Patent N o. 86,326, dated Tanna/ry 26, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN REVERSELE LATCHES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the lam..

To all l.whom itmay concern Be it known that we, WILLIAM E. SPARKS and HENRY H. SPARKS, ofV New Haven, in the county of New Haven, and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Reversible Latches; and we do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specication, and represent, in

Figure l, a side view, and in Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5, sectional views, to illustrate the construction and operation of the invention.

This ipvention relates to an improvement Iin knoblatches, the obj ect being to construct the latch so that the bolt may be reversed, and adapt the lock to either a right or left-hand door; and the invention consists in forming upon the edge of the follower a slight projection, and a corresponding notch in the bearing of the follower, so that when the follower is turned to present the projection to the notch, the follower may be partially thrown from the case, and permit the bolt to ily for-ward sc far out of the case as to be reversed, and

when the bolt is properly set and returned to the case, the follower will drop into its proper position to operate the bolt. f

In order to the clear understanding of our invention, we will fully describe the 'same as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

A is the face-plate of an ordinary mortise-latch.

B, the latch-bolt.,

C, the follower.

D, the side plate'of the case.

The latch-bolt is attached to the yoke E, so that when the bolt is thrown out of the case, as in iig. 3, then the bolt may be readily turned to either the right or left-hand position.

Upon the follower, we form a projection, a, and in the bearing of the follower in the lock-plate, we outa notch,

d, which, when the follower is turned to the position denotedin lig. 4, will permit the follower to be raised or thrown out from the case, as seen in g. 5, suiciently far to release `the yoke.

To thus turn the follower, press the latch-bolt back into the case, as seen in fig. 4, and there hold the bolt until the follower is turned and thrown out, as in fig. 5; then the yoke will pass out below the arms of the follower, as seen in fig. 3. Then the bolt, alter being set in proper position, is returned into the case and pressed back, as in lig. 4, and the follower will drop back into the case, and couple with the yoke, so as to operate the latch in the usual manner. z

To prevent the accidental removal of the follower,

we form a recess in the ends of the yoke, so that when,

all the parts are in proper position, the ends ofthe yoke will, cover the arms of the follower, as seen g. 2, by which construction the follower can only be removed when the latch-bolt is independently pressed into the position denoted in iig. 4.

By this construction it will be observed that we have changed no part of the ordinary latch, other than forming the projection a on the follower and the notch d in the case, both of which are done in casting, so that the additional expense of making an ordinary latch reversible is so slight as to amount to nothing, and thus we have produced a simple and convenient reversible latch, requiring no extra parts or pieces, and not liable to get out of repair. 1

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new and useful, and desire tov secure by Letters Patent, is-

The projection aupon the follower c, combined with the notch d in the plate, constructed and arranged so as to operate substantially in the manner specified.

WILLIAM SPARKS.

HENRY H. SPARKS. Witnesses:

J. H. SHUMWAY, A. J. TreBITs. 

